The Portland daily press., 1887-05-31
THE NATIONS DEAD.


sion of any single constituent member or
state.
1t was against this purpose that the sol
| diers of the north went forth to fight III
was against this purpose that your dead
comrades, whose memories it Is so honora-
| bic, so agreeable, so pathetic to renew, ex-
| emplihed their steadfastness and patriotism,
| and won an imperishable name. Not how
ever until the false creed having grown with
| our national enlargement, became OF strength
| sufficient TO threaten the institutions on
| which it sought to fasten. Not however un-
| til the doctrine of notification baptized
anew, appeared with the new title, secession,
proclaiming that "those institutions which |
cannot peryert will now destroy"
Let us take glance, and only glance, at
some OF the manifestations of belief in this
doctrine at different points in our national
history. This will involve a repetition of
purpose.
The idea that the states alone we're the
| parents of the national government was an
idea which very early had fixed itself in the
| minds or many of the fathers Of the reput-
| lie. The view that these parent communl-
| ties had bequeathed a portion only of their
| political estate to their common child the
national government, was also strongly in
sisted upon by many patriotic minds. The
| conclusion, therefore, that because they were
the sources OF all the powers conferred upon
the national government, the states still re-
tanned the right to neutralize within their re-
spective boundaries any federal law inimical
to their interests, was held by by no means
small number of men from the very earliest
times. This was undoubtedly minority be
lief, but it had its advocates, and eloquent
ones. Patrick Henry, the great orator of the
Revolution, in the convention of Virginia,
objected to the first three words of the pre-
amble of the Constitution-"We, the peo-
! pie" He argued that it should be "We, the
states" because he said, it was
the sovereign states and not the
| people who had made, and would ratify the
compact. Similar views were advanced in
the CONSTITUTIONAL Convention of the State
| OF New York. In the closing years of the
last century Kentucky and Virginia pro-
mulgated the celebrated resolutions of '9S
which, it Is asserted, plainly enunciated the
| doctrine OF the right of a State to nullify a
federal law. These resolutions were sent,
with accompanying addresses, to many if
not all of the Legislatures of the then
| Northern States But they were met with a
firm rejection. Early in the present century
Georgia disregarded a decision of the SUI
| preme Court of the United States and pro-
ceeded to settle the Indian question within
her borders, In disregard of the National
| government. Later ON occurred the cele-
brated notification resolutions of South
carolina. during the administration of
Gen. jackson. 1t is a noticeable fact that in
| none of these manifestations of the doc
| trine of notification had the question of
slavery been especially comminged The
resolutions OF IS were provoked by the pas
| sage of the alien and sedition laws in the
administration of the elder Adams, and as
| Is well known the notification resolutions
OF South Carolina were called forth by the
tariff. Neither had the doctrine assumed
| the full proportions Of legal right of sep
aration from the family of States. 1t was
only when the gradually expanding theory
| had allied itself with the institution of
slavery, that it ventured to proclaim the
right to dissolve the union and construct
confederation by our side. Then indeed.
| grown strong and insolent, it raised its
armed hand and Haunted its banners against
the strong walls and towers our fathers had
| founded.
1t is true that in the administration of
| Jackson his iron will and courage and patri
otism, aided by the eloquence of Benton
and OF Webster. had quelled or appeased
| the rising spirit of opposition to the govern
ment. But the tariff laws of that period
were soon repealed and the cause of the agi-
tatlon thus removed. Secession had not
then an opportunity to try its strength
| against the power and weight of the federal
army. The immediate excitement soon sub
sided. But it was living though dormant;
| the snake was only scotched, not killed. 1t
| needed only the heated atmosphere of some
| future agitation TO warm it again into dan
| gerons activity. The time soon came. The
full and dreadful harvest of secession was
reaped in our civil war. The doctrine of
secession eliminated not only in an attempt
to dissolve the union, but to perpetuate
mans right of property in man on American
soil and under American law. Previous to
TINS time the alleged right of secession had
been thlnly yelled under the term nulliiica-
ton.
Now it stood forth without disguise, and
proclaimed itself, moreover, the advocate
and champion of human slavery. Then in
deed the time had come for the uprooting of
| I poth by the sword. There was no alterna-
tlye and no escape. Out of our history for
| all time went secession and slavery, beaten
and yarquished together. They entered the
lists against American progress, humanity
and civilization, and in that grand tourna-
ment went down endorsed forever. Both
mad been transmitted to us from early times,
and the convulsiye agonies of the civil war
| were required to exterminate the great
heresy and the great sin. 1t Is the peculiar
| glory OF the Northern soldier that in his
blood were our institutions washed and
made clean from those twin defacements,
| slavery and secession. Both were diseases
| inherited from early days, and the vigor and
power of our Institutions, the depth of
american patriotism, and the strength of
American loyalty were exhibited in OIL ca
| pacity to throw them off. The cloud that
nad hung so long in our skies burst upon us
| In tempest unexampled before. But the
| SOL OF American character was fortified by
tnls outpouring. The American character
was broadened and deepened by these dread
fnl experiences. We saw more profoundly
the un sold value of our institutions to our
selves, and their inestimable worth to the
cause OF human progress in the world.
vanity and boastfulness deepened into ma
tional pride and honor, and the trials of the
civil war, instead of weakening, solidified
the foundations of the American form of
government.
Like all great national struggles ours is
fruitful In lessons of the highest value.
Let 1t be remembered that neither seces-
sion nor the institution of slavery was the
peculiar sin Of that generation of Southern
men who have had to bear their awful retri-
button. Slavery as we know was almost
coeVal Win the foundation of the country,
ana secession, as we have seen, was the re-
suit OF more than half a century of vicious
teachings to the Southern people. Calhoun
laylshed upon this nihilistic doctrine the
| stores Oh his eloquence and philosophy. He
| was man OF great power and courage, and
made deep impress on the Southern mind
He was lofty and conscientious in his views,
but he gave to secession powers that were
meant for mankind. He bequeathed to the
Southern Sou n people a legacy Of error and of
OF the, leading minds Of the South
twenty-five or thirty years ago; he innocula-
ted the Southern mind with poison which
was only eradicated by war Considering
stances and education, in reviewing these
great events in our history, let us lay the
crushing weight of the blame of the civil war
| where II rlghtfully belongs: on the false
anu ucluSlNt teachings OF the early
leaders of southern opinion. Let us not Law
IL upon them, the masses of the southern
| people, who, misled by most unwise instruc-
tion, are now, in the effort to restore deyas-
| tated country, in the face of the most appal-
| ing social and political problems that ever
perplexed nation, paying the penalty of the
s0phlstries and sins of their former leaders.
The soldier of the North returned to
country rich and prosperous, and is secure
and honored pensioner on the inexhaustible
fund OF the love and gratitude of his country
BEST Of all can he who has tasted of the bit
ter trials of the war, and drank also of the
| sweets OF honorable victory, extend pity, for
bearance and compassion to that misguided,
| conquered southern citizen, who was willing
| so freely to shed his blood for suicidal
| cause, which he was educated to believe was
| the cause of liberty, justice and law.
The northern soldier saved our union from
| an assault which had well nigh shattered it
In pieces. His spirit of magnanimity towards
| an oyermastered foe will prevent the recur-
renee of that danger again.
Memorial Day, now that the severity of in
dlyldual bereavement has been softened and
hallowed by time, becomes sweet and sacred
day, because on each annual recurrence we
renew the honOred memories of our buried
Soldiery, and bury the bitter memories of the
war in which they fought.
AS we review to-day the great events
which this occasion recalls, we seem to hear
no longer the sounds of the shock and
tumult Of war These grow fainter as time